The music language is based on complex organized time-relationships between sets of acoustical characteristic of sounds. The music notation language is the written representation of the audible one and was—until the recording era—the only method to store, keep, transmit and disseminate music, as well as the only method to teach and learn complex music compositions. Thus, learning to read the music notation makes the difference between musical literacy and musical illiteracy.
Solfège is a method of performing music notation by singing the sol-fa syllables. Solfège is taught at many levels of music education, from primary through graduate level university study. Knowing solfège means to be able to read notes from a piece of written music, mentally hear the pitch, note-names, rhythmical pattern and intensity of the notes, and vocally produce the corresponding sounds. Solfège is a form of solmization, which is a system of assigning a distinct syllable to each note in a musical scale. Various forms of solmization are in use, and solfège is a commonly used form of Solmization in Europe, North and South America, and in Latin and Slavic languages countries. The terms “solmization” and “solfège” may be used interchangeably. In other countries, cultures and languages, the names of the syllables are different—as for example in Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Korean, Arabian and others.
The technique of solfège involves assigning the notes of a scale to particular syllables, and then practicing by singing different note sequences using these syllables. When studying solfège, the sequences typically become gradually more difficult, e.g. in terms of intervals and rhythms used.
The seven syllables commonly used for this practice in Latin and Slavic languages countries are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and si (ti). In English speaking countries the system A, B, C (which corresponds to la, si, do and so forth) is also in use. The note names or note syllables, when referred to herein, are associated with the specific notation on score notes, e.g. one of do, re, m, fa, sol, la or si. In a classroom, music education by the solfege method means learning to interpret the written music notation with its related acoustic properties: pitch, duration and intensity, and practicing by singing the sol-fa syllables with one's own voice.